Tag: California Golden Bears

Duke expected to add New Mexico State transfer running back Star Thomas, per Matt Zenitz

Duke looks to add final piece to the 2024 running back room after Tuesday reports of a potential transfer commitment.

Duke’s running backs are about to get another infusion of talent.

On Tuesday afternoon, Matt Zenitz of 247Sports reported that New Mexico State transfer running back Star Thomas was expected to transfer to Duke.

The transfer, who visited Duke’s campus on Tuesday according to Zenitz, will apparently pick the Blue Devils after a hard push by the Vanderbilt Commodores.

He entered the portal in April, and things have gone in several directions since then. Toward the end of the month, it was believed that new ACC member Cal was going to earn his commitment, but the Blue Devils found a new gear, got him on campus, surged ahead of Cal, and fought off advances from Vanderbilt, too.

Thomas accounted for 1,499 yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns over two years at New Mexico State

Landing Thomas is huge for Duke. He’s a senior with tons of experience, giving Duke another veteran to pair with lead running back and fellow senior Jaquez Moore. Moore is the only significant returning running back after Jordan Waters opted for the transfer portal and transferred to NC State.

 

The Devils have young names like Marquise Collins, Travis Bates, and Peyton Jones on the depth chart, too, but if they aren’t progressing in the manner they need to, Duke can ride Moore and Thomas as they build their offense around Texas transfer QB Maalik Murphy.

Sooners offseason overhaul is complete with No. 2 rated JUCO prospect Jeff Nwankwo transferring to OU

Oklahoma lands the number two rated JUCO prospect in Jeff Nwankwo.

Oklahoma has finished its offseason overhaul. It comes with a bang, as the Sooners just received a commitment from Jeff Nwankwo, a former Oklahoma preps player.

Nwankwo played high school basketball and football at Putnam City North. In football, he helped lead the team to an 8-2 record, a conference title, a district title, and an appearance in the state playoff in 2020 as a wide receiver.

He was also accomplished on the basketball court, but his upside as a football player earned him an offer from Tulane, which he accepted.

He signed with Tulane and didn’t appear in the 2021 season. He would give up playing football and head to junior college to play basketball. He ended up at Cowley College in Arkansas City, Kansas.

There, his true athletic calling began to reveal itself. He started 16 of 19 games in 2022, averaging 10. 7 PPG on about 25 minutes of playing time per game. He shot 35 percent from distance.

He initially committed to Marist University but returned to Cowley for one more go last year. There, he would put together an incredible campaign.

Nwankwo averaged 18.6 points and 7.6 rebounds and shot 37 percent on 3-pointers to earn first-team NJCAA All-America honors this season.

The talented wing committed to Mark Madsen and the Cal Bears on April 13 before reopening his recruitment on Tuesday. Twenty-four hours later, he committed to Porter Moser and the Oklahoma Sooners.

With his commitment, Oklahoma adds more shooting and athleticism to a team that has become loaded with shooters and versatile wing defenders.

At 6-foot-6, Nwankwo can catch and shoot, shoot off the dribble, and showcase the ability to put the ball on the floor, get to the cup, or find open teammates when collapsing a defense. He has two years of eligibility and could factor into Oklahoma’s rotation this upcoming season off his athleticism alone.

With his commitment, Oklahoma is done with the portal additions. The only decision to wait is to see if Jalon Moore, Oklahoma’s presumptive leader for this upcoming season and the most impactful returner from last year’s team, decides to return or if he will stay in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Moore has until May 29 to make his decision and withdraw his name.

Either way, Oklahoma seems set on all fronts to attack 2024 with the group assembled. This team is set to play the school’s first season in the SEC and hope to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time under Porter Moser.

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Duke one of the finalists to land New Mexico State RB Star Thomas

Duke continues to attack the transfer portal hard in search of more pieces for the 2024 season as they are a finalist for transfer RB Star Thomas.

Duke football is far from being done constructing its roster for the 2024 season. It seems they still have a ways to go.

Recently, Bruno Fina, an offensive tackle who played last season at UCLA, hit the transfer portal and came out on the other side as a Duke Blue Devil.

Duke is now looking to boost its running back room, it appears. On3’s Pete Nakos reported on Wednesday that Manny Diaz’s team is one of four finalists for New Mexico State transfer tailback Star Thomas.

Thomas was a second-team All-Conference USA selection this past season. He rushed for 633 yards in 2023 and added four rushing touchdowns. He also caught 22 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns.

Throughout his career, he’s tallied 1,171 yards and 9 TDs on the ground along with 351 receiving yards and five scores as a passing weapon.

Duke’s competition includes newly minted ACC foe California, a sleeper team to win the SEC in Ole Miss, and the Toledo Rockets.

Thomas would be a welcome addition to Duke’s running back room. Since Jordan Waters’ departure to the NC State Wolfpack, the Blue Devils have been searching for a more proven option alongside Jaquez Moore, and Thomas certainly fills that role.

 

Lane Kiffin and the Rebels feel like the team to beat, but with Duke making the list as a finalist, we’ll see how things shake out when the dust settles.

Former Ohio State wide receiver Kyion Grayes trending toward new ACC member

This would be a great landing spot for Grayes

It wasn’t a surprise when now former Ohio State wide receiver [autotag]Kyion Grayes[/autotag] entered the transfer portal.

After two seasons of not being able to see the field, and while watching younger receivers jump him on the depth chart, the writing was on the wall. It was expected that the Arizona native would look West for his new football home, which looks like it will be the case.

247Sports Matt Zenitz is reporting that Grayes will most likely end up playing for California, who will be joining the ACC this coming season. As a recruit, he was highly thought of, ranking as the No. 88 overall player and 14th best receiver according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

You’d have to believe that Grayes would see playing time immediately, so this move makes total sense for him.

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Former LSU safety Ryan Yaites transfers to Cal

Former LSU safety Ryan Yaites is heading to the ACC.

Former LSU safety [autotag]Ryan Yaites[/autotag] found his new home on Monday, telling On3 Sports he’s committing to Cal.

The sophomore safety entered the transfer portal in the spring window after just one year at LSU. He played 124 defensive snaps with the Tigers, notching seven tackles. According to PFF, he allowed five catches in 66 coverage snaps.

Yaites committed to LSU in 2022, choosing the Tigers over Oklahoma. As a recruit, ESPN ranked him as the 11th-best safety in the country. He was the 276th overall recruit in On3’s Industry Ranking.

Now, the Texas native will head out west and join Cal as the Golden Bears head to the ACC.

LSU hasn’t lost a ton to the portal this year, but Yaites would have been a solid piece with Brian Kelly’s program going through a defensive rebuild. Between personnel and coaching changes, a lot will look different on that side of the ball in 2024.

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LSU gymnastics advances to Four on the Floor with top score in NCAA semifinal

Haleigh Bryant recorded the top all-around score as the Tigers advance to the Four on the Floor for the second year in a row.

For the second year in a row, the LSU gymnastics team has reached the Four on the Floor.

The Tigers advanced to the final round at the NCAA championships in Fort Worth, Texas, with a total score of 198.1125, finishing .400 ahead of second-place finisher California, which also advanced to the championship round.

LSU finished with the top score in the final three rotations, with [autotag]Haleigh Bryant[/autotag] recording the meet-high on the beam (9.950) and [autotag]Aleah Finnegan[/autotag] doing so on the floor (9.9625).

Bryant also finished with the highest all-around score of 39.7125.

The Tigers and Golden Bears advance to the Four on the Floor, which will also take place at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth on Saturday, though they’ll have to wait for the second semifinal session to find out who will complete the final grouping.

That match will air on ABC with coverage beginning at 3 p.m. CT.

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ACC legal battles could open door for more Big Ten expansion

If the ACC crumbles, the Big Ten could be ready to pounce on a few potential members.

If you thought the Big Ten was going to settle in an 18-team membership following this year’s additions of Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington, you are probably fooling yourself. Expansion could be looming on the horizon once again if things in the ACC continue on the path they seem to be heading.

Florida State previously opened a significant legal battle challenging the ACC on its grant of rights. If Florida State is successful, it would open the doors for a potential mass exodus from the ACC to the Big Ten or SEC in a similar fashion to what happened in the Pac-12, although perhaps not quite as devastating in the grand scheme.

Florida State is not alone in its legal challenge of the ACC, however. Clemson officially joined the battle this week with its own lawsuit filed in South Carolina, potentially opening the door for Clemson and Florida State to carve a path to leave the ACC in search of greener pastures in the Big Ten or SEC. And if Clemson and Florida State do force their way out, then it stands to reason others in the ACC would explore their options as well, including North Carolina.

And, of course, this somehow all gets back to the future of Notre Dame as well.

SEC Network analyst and radio host Paul Finebaum created a stir suggesting Notre Dame is inching closer and closer to having to make a big decision on its future with football independence or conference membership. As Finebaum suggests, and something I’ve been saying for years, at some point Notre Dame’s leaders will have to realize that it is far more profitable and beneficial for the school to be a member of a conference than it is to be an independent. Considering the revenue shares that Big Ten and SEC schools receive compare to the revenue Notre Dame football generates, it has to fiscal sense to at least strongly consider ditching football independence in the evolving world of college sports.

This would especially be true if the ACC cracks with its membership. Notre Dame is a member of the ACC in most of its other sports (although it is a Big Ten school in ice hockey), but if members start leaving the ACC, it would make sense for Notre Dame to look for a more stable future.

The Big Ten would be the natural landing spot for Notre Dame, one might think. This is especially true if a crumbling ACC loses Stanford and Cal to the Big Ten amid potential realignment changes. The Big Ten adding Stanford, Cal, North Carolina, and Notre Dame would be a decent haul overall.

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Jacob Walsh powers Oregon past California to take weekend series

Oregon first baseman Jacob Walsh smashes two home runs and drives in four to lead the Ducks past Cal 10-3 and the series win.

Oregon first baseman Jacob Walsh can be the most dangerous hitter in the Pac-12 when he’s staying on pitches and driving them to the opposite field.

Walsh managed to drive three balls into left-center with two of them flying over the wall as he led Oregon to a 10-3 win over California Sunday afternoon at PK Park.

With the win, the Ducks improve to 13-6 overall and 4-2 in conference action. They have taken the first two series in Pac-12 play. California dropped to 12-5 overall and the Bears are also 4-2 in league action.

Walsh’s first big fly came in the first inning, which gave the Ducks an early 3-0 advantage. Oregon increased its 3-1 lead in the fourth on a run-scoring single from Anson Aroz and a two-run double from Justin Cassella.

As it turns out, that was enough for Duck starting pitcher Kevin Seitter, who went five innings, giving up one run on four hits and striking out six. Reliever Bradley Mullen threw a scoreless sixth, but Michael Fruend gave up two in the seventh.

Up 6-3, the Ducks added four runs in the eighth thanks to a trio of home runs from Walsh, Aroz and Ryan Cooney. Logan Mercado threw a scoreless eighth and ninth to earn the save.

The Ducks will stay home this week and host Arizona next weekend. The Wildcats are 7-10 overall and just 2-3 in conference play. They have one more game against ASU Sunday afternoon.

Grinsell pitches a gem to even up series with Golden Bears

Grayson Grinsell threw six innings of one-hit ball as the Ducks take Game 2 over Cal 5-1 to even the weekend series.

In their last two games, the Oregon Ducks baseball team has given up runs in the double digits, including a 13-1 loss to California Friday night.

Saturday starter Grayson Grinsell put a complete halt to that nonsense as he threw six brilliant innings of one-hit ball and it was enough for the Ducks to down the Bears 5-1.

With the win, Oregon moves to 12-6 overall and 3-2 in conference play, while California suffered its first defeat in league action. The Golden Bears fell to 12-4 overall and 4-1 in conference play. These two teams will battle it out Sunday afternoon to who will take the weekend set.

If Oregon receives this kind of pitching in the series finale, it will make it its second conference series win.

Grinsell gave up just one run, one hit and struck out nine in his six innings of work. Reliever Bradley Mullen threw two shutout frames and Logan Mercado coaxed a double play grounder in the ninth to close things out.

Cal was actually up 1-0 in the third, but the Ducks tied the game in the bottom half of the inning thanks to a bases-loaded walk to Anson Aroz. It was one of the great at-bats of the afternoon as he fouled four straight 3-2 pitches off before drawing a walk to force in Carter Garate from third base.

Oregon then brought out the big sticks.

Ryan Cooney gave the Ducks a 3-1 lead with a home run to left field and a little later in the inning, Justin Cassella crushed a homer to dead center field for the 5-1 lead.

That was more than enough offense for Oregon as the trio of Duck pitchers held the Golden Bears to just three hits on the day.

Oregon and California will get together one more time on Sunday with the first pitch set for 12:05 pm at PK Park.

California comes to PK Park and wins big in series opener over Oregon

California lit the PK Park scoreboard up with a baker’s dozen worth of runs and took the series opener 13-1 over the Ducks.

While there’s a huge celebration down in Las Vegas with the men’s basketball team’s upset over Arizona, the exact opposite feeling is occurring at PK Park.

California’s Caleb Lomavita set the tone with a two-run homer in the first and the Bears blew out Oregon 13-1 in the weekend series opener.

With the loss, Oregon drops to 11-6 overall and 4-3 in league play. The Golden Bears improved to 12-3 overall and a perfect 4-0 in Pac-12 action.

Things didn’t get any better for Duck starting pitcher RJ Gordon as he gave up three more runs in the third to fall behind 5-0. The Ducks were able to dent the scoreboard in the fourth on a run-scoring single from Ryan Cooney to score Drew Smith.

But that was all the offense the Ducks could muster. California put the game away with three insurance runs in the eighth and four more in the ninth off of Oregon’s young relievers.

A bright spot on the mound for the Ducks was Brock Moore as he struck out six straight batters. Unfortunately, he might have been left too long as he was touched up for those three runs in the eighth.

All is far from lost for the Ducks. In their first Pac-12 series, they dropped the opener to Arizona State before coming out on top Saturday and Sunday to take the series. Oregon is hoping to repeat the feat this weekend as well.

Game 2 is scheduled for 2:05 pm Saturday afternoon.